Panesar and Amjad fined for excessive appealing

England spinner Monty Panesar has been fined 25% of his match fee, while Amjad Khan, the fast bowler, has been reprimanded for breaching the ICC Code of Conduct during the fifth Test against West Indies in Port of Spain. Panesar was found guilty of excessive appealing by match referee Alan Hurst in a hearing after the conclusion of play on the fourth day.

"Monty Panesar is a very enthusiastic and exuberant bowler and there is nothing wrong with that but on this occasion he has gone too far," Hurst said. "On more than one occasion during the day he began celebrating a prospective dismissal rather than appealing and waiting for the decision to be made, thereby not showing due respect for the role of the umpire. He is an experienced player who should know this action is not in the spirit of the game."

The charge was brought by the on-field umpires Daryl Harper and Russell Tiffin, third umpire Aleem Dar and fourth official Clyde Duncan. Hurst reached his decision after a hearing attended by the player, the umpires, England team manager Phil Neale, coach Andy Flower and captain Andrew Strauss.

Meanwhile, Amjad was also reprimanded for the same offence. He was found guilty of excessive appealing after he beat Shivnarine Chanderpaul outside off stump on the third day. Replays showed that the bat had hit the ground, and there was no contact between bat and ball, but Amjad raced down the pitch without waiting for the umpire's decision.

"This is Amjad Khan's first Test match and I am willing to accept that he didn't fully appreciate the importance of adhering to the ICC Code of Conduct," Hurst said. "In his defence, he apologised for his actions to the on-field umpire immediately after the incident and again at the hearing. It was an isolated incident but at the same time he has to learn that all players must show due respect for the role of the umpires."

All Level 1 breaches carry a minimum penalty of an official reprimand and a maximum penalty of 50% of a player's match fee.

In a third hearing, Stuart Broad was cleared of any misconduct after Hurst ruled that comments made by Broad about the match officials were not derogatory.

"On the evidence presented, the actions of the player did not breach the ICC Code of Conduct," Hurst said. "While a comment attributed to Stuart Broad related to match officials and their performance, it was not specific, not perceived as serious in the context of the whole interview quoted, and not proven to be an accurate quote. Also, Stuart was clearly positive about the umpires in other interviews conducted after the game on Sunday."